Wheel of Fortune timeline (syndicated)/Season 1

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A timeline for Season 1 of Wheel of Fortune, which aired in first-run from September 19, 1983 through June 29, 1984. Note that while debut dates varied from market to market, Wheel itself lists September 19 as the official debut date.

August 1983

• According to recollections, at least two stations (WJRT in Flint, Michigan and WKBW in Buffalo, New York) debut Wheel this month, the latter on the 22nd.
• On August 29, four TV stations in Ohio (including WEWS in Cleveland, WKEF in Dayton, and WBNS in Columbus) debut Wheel with a special week of episodes taped at the Ohio State Fair on August 18-19. According to Pat Sajak during some 1997 tapings at the same location, these tapings did not go over too well due to at least some contestants having no idea how to play the game.
  • A set of photos that surfaced in June 2014 suggest that these were not "true" episodes, but rather a "mock" version, with audience members drawn randomly to play a reduced-stakes version with a vertical Wheel. The photos indicate that two people played at a time at individual miked podiums, with the Wheel between them (a similar setup to the Melody Roulette round on Name That Tune) and the puzzle board to their left (the audience's right). Although the photos do not include a full view of the puzzle board, the portions visible suggest an appearance similar to the 1974-81 style.
  • The Wheel used in these shows later appears in an official "mini-movie" made by the show in mid-1985, part of which (specifically, a parade) is done in Nelsonville, Ohio.

September 1983

• The nighttime Wheel officially debuts on September 19. It plays identically to the NBC daytime version, with Pat and Vanna White hosting, Jack Clark as announcer, and only six major differences at this point:
  • There are no returning champions.
  • The prize budget is noticeably higher.
  • Round 2 adds a Prize wedge to the orange $150 near Lose A Turn.
  • The top value in Round 3 is increased to $5,000, which is on a shiny, silver wedge covering the $2,000 wedge.
  • Following the Merv Griffin Productions logo, Jack adds "Distributed by King World Productions, Inc." The King World logo ("KING WORLD PRODUCTIONS, INC."), using the Eurostile Heavy font, is shown over Pat, Vanna, and the day's winner.
  • Each week is compiled from five taping sessions, and episodes typically air out of sequence due to the "bicycling" method of syndication still in use at this point.
• The September 5 show is Jeff/Leslie/Linda, taped July 6. On this episode:
  • There is no close-up of the $5,000 wedge when Pat announces it as the top value for Round 3.
  • As there is a commercial break during Round 3, the Final Spin chimes do not sound when Pat goes to spin the Wheel coming out of the commercial.
• On another early taping (Lisa/Bob/Nancy):
  • No vowels are bought in Rounds 1 or 3.
  • The category strip is white in the Bonus Round, but red for the rest of the show.
  • The contestants are shown turning their backs during the commercial outro in Round 2.
  • Six consecutive turns are lost in Round 2.
  • Pat's Final Spin lands on Bankrupt, but against precedent at the time, the slide whistle does not sound.
  • There is a brief pause between Bob solving the Round 3 puzzle BIRTH CERTIFICATE and Pat ruling it correct, possibly due to Bob adding an A before the answer.

• On still another early taping (Kathy/Janet/Barry):

  

  • Janet had previously played on the October 8, 1980 episode.
  • The Wheel Prize is $500 cash, displayed as five $100 bills in a bird nest (a "nest egg"), and the wedge has a large dollar sign in the same font as other Prize wedges. This is not the least expensive prize ever offered, as a $425 camera is also known to have been offered early in the show's run.
  • After the above plug, the players are shown turning around to face the puzzle board.
  • One of the fee plugs is a pre-recorded ad, although "Changing Keys" continues to play over it. This practice appears in several other episodes this season.
• On yet another early taping (Cyn/Susan/Steve):
  • The category strip is white in the Bonus Round, but purple for the rest of the show.
  • The board malfunctions during Round 2, as on at least two letter calls the trilons do not light up in sync with the dings.
  • The footage for the Bonus Round prize (a boat) is likely edited in, as Vanna is shown modeling it from behind the puzzle board.
  • The bonus puzzle WISH YOU WERE HERE uses all four lines of the puzzle board, one of the few known instances of a bonus puzzle doing so.
• On yet another early taping (Laura/Lisa/Glenn):
  • The category strip is white in the Bonus Round, but blue for the rest of the show.
  • The contestants are shown turning their backs during the commercial outro in Round 2.
  • In the final segment, Pat explains how players choose bonus prizes.
• On yet another early taping (Kelli/Barry/Pam):
  • The category strip is white in the Bonus Round, but blue for the rest of the show.
  • There is no closeup of the Prize wedge when it is mentioned at the start of Round 2.
  • When Pam hits Bankrupt in Round 2, Pat does not ask her to hand over the Prize wedge, nor does he retrieve it himself. He also comments on her still having the Prize when the round returns from commercial. It is not known whether Prizes were initially invulnerable to Bankrupt, or if this was a one-time error. This does not affect the outcome, as Pam does not solve.
  • There are two consolation prize plugs (both of which are pre-recorded ads, with "Changing Keys" continuing to play over them) shown immediately before the car plug, which is itself done before the start of Round 3. As no other known episodes include this, it is unknown whether this was a regular occurrence.
  • The Final Spin chimes sound immediately after Barry spins the Wheel. He is allowed to complete his turn, after which Pat does the Final Spin.
  • "Changing Keys" does not begin to play until several seconds after Jack starts reading the fee plugs.
  • The ticket plug is done between the fee plugs and sponsor list. On at least this episode, it is done over a shot of the audience (itself an extremely rare instance of an audience shot during the show's years in Burbank). The address on this episode is "TICKETS WHEEL OF FORTUNE 3000 W. Alameda Ave. Burbank, CA 91523" on four lines.
  • On at least this episode, the eligibility disclaimer and Pat and Vanna's wardrobe plugs are in yellow.
  • The Merv Griffin Productions graphic omits the "WHEEL OF FORTUNE Is Produced by" portion at the top.
  • At least one source claims this episode to be the second-taped show (#S-2).
• Shortly into taping for the season, the top value in Round 1 is increased to $1,000, which is placed over the $100 near $750 (which was previously the top dollar).
• On an episode after the $1,000 top value is introduced, but before the trees change (Barbara/Harlene/Kevin):
  • While Pat is still in the middle of the rules spiel, the shot cuts to the puzzle board. The puzzle chimes then sound, to which Pat jokes that there's someone at the door who has a Person (the Round 1 category) for them.
  • The Prize wedge's lettering (SILVER) is much smaller than usual. The smaller lettering continues to appear at least occasionally until early next season.
  • The Round 3 puzzle DYED-IN-THE-WOOL has three hyphens, a likely record for the most punctuation ever revealed on the trilon boards until 1994.
  • Mark Corwin, then the associate director, fills in as director.
• On another episode from the above timeframe (Richard/Claire/Melissa):
  • During Round 1, the buzzer sounds on a correct letter.
  • The Prize wedge (VIDEO) uses the smaller lettering.
  • The players are shown turning their backs during the commercial outro in Round 2.
  • Claire puts $25 on account after Round 2, which she claims in Round 3.
• On yet another episode from this point (Lou/Cindy/Karen):
  • The Round 3 puzzle THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA is on the second through fourth rows, a practice normally done only if the first word is too long for the top row.
  • Cindy lands on $5,000 three times in a row in Round 3. She then solves for $25,100, buying a total of 12 prizes (including two cars). The resulting prize copy runs for three minutes and twelve seconds.

October 1983

• At some point in the early Fall, the on-set trees change from green to brown.
• Sometime this month, contestant Theresa sets a winnings record of $63,493 by winning an Auburn Speedster in the Bonus Round.
• On an episode with the brown-leaf trees (Ed/Dawn/Ellen, taped in September):
  • Ed solves the Speed-Up puzzle with $16,050. Pat throws to commercial, but is quickly stopped and Ed shops. "Changing Keys" is heard briefly while the situation is resolved.
  • Ed sweeps the game and wins a hot tub in the Bonus Round.
  • Around this point, contestants who win the Bonus Round have their final totals displayed on a chyron (usually in yellow Helvetica text).
• On another episode with the brown-leaf trees (Bob/Pearl/Carmen), Jack does not do his "the prices of the prizes..." spiel, possibly due to the available copy being a repeat.
• As of the above episode, the original King World logo is still in use.
• On another episode from around the same point (Dan/Gloria/Ola):
  • No vowels are bought in Round 2.
  • Gloria sweeps the game but loses a Mazda in the Bonus Round.
• By the above episode, the Prize wedge can now be lost to Bankrupt.

November 1983

• On an episode from the Fall (Becky/Maury/Elaine):
  • For one of the only known times during the Burbank era, the audience is seen on-screen. This is due to Pat saying "Anybody here from Dallas? I'm just curious." after walking out.
  • During one of Elaine's turns in Round 1, Pat walks over to reattach her mic after it falls off.
  • The promotional plugs (before Round 3) are pre-recorded with "Changing Keys" continuing to play underneath.
  • Elaine sweeps the game and wins a set of bedroom furniture in the Bonus Round. At $1,699, this is very likely the least expensive bonus prize ever offered on the nighttime show.
  • Round 2 and the Bonus Round are Title.
  • Elaine accidentally calls R twice in the Bonus Round, and the second R briefly appears on the chyron.
• Around this point, the on-set trees become white with lights on them.
• On an episode with the light-up white trees, but before the Griffin logo changes (Rick/Joan/Cecelia):
  • The Prize wedge uses the smaller lettering.
  • Neither Thing nor Phrase is used.
• November 15 (Francine/Kim/Paul) is Episode #S-52, taped August 28.
• Around November 28, the Griffin logo is replaced by a full-color drawing of a griffin against a black background. The griffin blinks, and the company's name is animated with light blue inside; below the Griffin company name is a Califon Productions copyright notice.
• Most likely at the same time, and definitely by about the end of January, the King World logo is also altered: it now uses a rounder font, similar to Helvetica, with "KING WORLD" larger than "Productions Inc." The new logo is shown over a slowly-spinning Round 1 layout.

December 1983

• Reruns air during the week of December 26. Repeat airings use a new set of fee plugs and cut away to a gold gradient background listing the replacement sponsors during the normal sponsor crawl.

January 1984

• Kathy Najimy is a contestant sometime this year, between appearances on the nighttime Family Feud (1981) and The $25,000 Pyramid (July 31, 1985). On May 2, 1989, she appears as a guest on The Pat Sajak Show and shows a picture of her Wheel appearance.
• On an episode from this month (Lloyd/Linda/Debbie):
  • During the opening, Pat sits in the on-stage motorhome and throws a wadded ball of paper out the window, causing Jack to laugh. After the logo appears, Jack introduces him as "And now, here's your litterer, Pat Sajak!"
  • Following the Bonus Round, Vanna spins the Wheel for the first known time. She does so from the host's area, and (with the red contestant arrow, much like the Final Spin) lands on the red $200 next to Lose A Turn.
• Around this point, the puzzle board's chase light sequence (used when the category is revealed and after the puzzle is solved), which normally goes counterclockwise on the left side and clockwise on the right, is occasionally reversed. As far as is known, episodes used either the original sequence or the reversed one, but never both.
• On an episode from January or February (Thelma/Sam/Lisa), with the animated Griffin logo and light-up white trees:
  • Pat models the Cadillac in the opening, causing Jack to introduce him as "And now that he's parked, here's your host, Pat Sajak!"
  • The curtain becomes stuck on the right-hand spiral pillar after Pat's entrance, and he successfully pulls the remainder down into place. After Pat introduces Vanna, the curtain does not open and she has to push it apart herself.
  • The hyphen in the Round 1 puzzle MASON-DIXON LINE (itself inexplicably categorized as Thing instead of Place) fails to light up for several seconds.
  • The Round 2 puzzle has both an apostrophe and a hyphen, although the answer (BACHELOR'S-BUTTON) should not have the latter. This is the first known instance of improper punctuation.
  • There are two sets of repeated categories: Rounds 1 and 2 are Thing, while Round 3 is People and Round 4 is Person.
  • Surprisingly, no vowels are bought in the entire game.
• On an episode from around this period (Tom/Cindi/Velma):
  • No vowels are bought in Round 1.
  • Neither Bankrupt nor Lose A Turn is hit.
  • Rounds 1, 2, and the Bonus Round are Phrase.
  • In the final segment, Pat and Vanna plug the Arlington Hilton in Arlington, Texas, at which they stayed (apparently during a contestant search).
• On an episode taped this month (Fern/Darlene/Michael):
  • The category strip is white in the Bonus Round, but blue for the rest of the show.
  • The Prize wedge (BIKE) uses the smaller lettering.
  • In a rather rare occurrence, Michael spends all of his money in the Round 3 shopping segment.
  • Mark Corwin fills in as director.

February 1984

• Early this month, the on-set trees are replaced by walls with foliage on them. The walls are altered according to the time of year (with snowflakes and lights in Winter), while the trees continue to appear occasionally.
• On an episode from after the walls are introduced (Teresa/Mark/Gladys):
  • All three puzzles are very short: Rounds 1 and 3 are only 15 letters, and Round 2 only 10.
  • Even more unusually for this era, the Round 2 puzzle RAY CHARLES uses only one line.
• On another episode from around this point (Mike/Sonya/Betty):
  • All three puzzles are very short, with Round 3 being the longest at only 16 letters.
  • Pat's Final Spin lands on Bankrupt.
  • GSN's airing of this episode in the 1990s includes the replacement fee plugs.
• On yet another episode from about this point (Frances/Elaine/Duane), Rounds 1, 3, and the Bonus Round are Phrase.
• On yet another episode from around this point (Joy/Norm/Ann):
  • The Prize wedge (WATCH) uses the smaller lettering.
  • Ann calls R twice in the Bonus Round, and the second R is displayed briefly before Pat tells her to choose a different letter.
  • GSN's airing of this episode in the 1990s includes the replacement fee plugs.
• Although the daytime show alters the Griffin logo to use much smaller text in the Peignot font and remove the blinking animation from the Griffin, the nighttime series retains the late-1983 design for the remainder of the season, adopting the new design at the start of Season 2.

March 1984

• On an episode taped sometime this month (Misa/Chloe/Frank):
  • The Wheel spins very slowly during the intro.
  • No vowels are bought in Round 3.
  • In a rather rare occurrence, Chloe spends all of her money in the Round 3 shopping segment.
  • During the final segment, Pat and Vanna discuss unusual names, including Misa. During this, they note that "Vanna" is not short for anything and is not unusual (at this point, Vanna has met four other people with the same name).

April 1984

• On an episode sometime this month (Virginia/Bob/Norma, taped February 14), Virginia wins with $5,000, due entirely to hitting that amount on the very last spin of the game. This also amounts to a win by only $75.
• On an episode from this month (Chuck/Sonja/Cindy, taped February 23):
  • Pat mentions that the Round 1 puzzle (ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL) is both a Title and a Phrase, although the chyron only shows Title. This is one of only three known instances of Pat stating that a puzzle can fit in more than one category.
  • Chuck puts $63 on account following Round 1; he ends up putting this same $63 on a gift certificate following Round 2.
  • The Prize wedge, a $566 trip to Lake Tahoe, is a rare instance of a Wheel Prize valued at less than $1,000.
  • Chuck sweeps the game and wins a Pontiac Fiero in the Bonus Round.
• On an episode taped sometime this month (Betty/Debbie/David):
  • The opening graphics do not have their white outlines.
  • During the opening, Pat and Vanna model a motorcycle with sidecar. Pat acts as if they are going around a curve, falling into Vanna's lap in the sidecar. After the logo appears, Jack introduces Pat as "And now, here's your motorcycle friend, Pat Sajak!"
  • Debbie puts $19 on account after Round 1, but loses it to Bankrupt in Round 2.
• On another episode taped this month (Bill/Jude/MaryAnn):
  • At least two cracks are visible on the gold ring of the red sunburst backdrop.
  • Possibly due to the presence of Round 4, Pat signs off after the Bonus Round.
• On still another episode taped this month (Mark/Carol/Debi), Rounds 2, 3, and the Bonus Round are Phrase.
• Reruns air during the week of April 23.

May 1984

• On an episode from around this time, a contestant only spins once, calling an incorrect letter on $700 in Round 3. Although he later participates in the Speed-Up the following round, none of his letter choices appear in the puzzle.

Post-Season

• Among the Summer repeats are Thelma/Sam/Lisa (June), Teresa/Mark/Gladys (July), Frances/Elaine/Duane (August), and Lloyd/Linda/Debbie (August).
  • While Bob/Pearl/Carmen, Tom/Cindi/Velma, and Joy/Norm/Ann are known to have rerun copies circulating, it is not known when they were reshown.